The sofa you sit on, the electronics you use, and the car you drive likely contain flame retardant chemicals. Designed to slow the spread of fire, these substances are now found throughout the marine environment — from coastal sediments to the blubber of deep-diving whales.
What Are Flame Retardants?
Flame retardants are chemicals added to materials to make them less flammable. They're found in furniture foam, textiles, electronics, building insulation, and vehicle interiors. The most common types include brominated flame retardants (BFRs), organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs), and chlorinated paraffins.
How They Reach the Ocean
Flame retardants leach from products throughout their lifetime. Household dust — a major exposure route for humans — eventually washes down drains. Electronic waste, often poorly recycled, releases flame retardants into soil and water. Landfill leachate carries them into groundwater and eventually to the sea.
Environmental Persistence
Many flame retardants are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) — the trifecta of environmental concern. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), though now largely banned, remain in the environment and continue to accumulate in marine food chains. They've been found in marine organisms from every ocean on Earth.
Health and Ecological Effects
In marine mammals, flame retardants have been linked to thyroid disruption, immune suppression, and reproductive problems. Laboratory studies show developmental effects in fish. In humans, exposure has been associated with hormone disruption, neurodevelopmental effects in children, and cancer risk.
The Replacement Problem
When harmful flame retardants are banned, they're often replaced with chemically similar alternatives — a pattern known as "regrettable substitution." The replacement may turn out to be equally harmful, but it takes years of research to demonstrate this. Better regulation needs to address entire chemical classes, not just individual substances.
Moving Forward
Fire safety doesn't have to come at environmental cost. Better product design, inherently fire-resistant materials, and smarter building standards can reduce the need for chemical flame retardants. The EU is working on criteria for safe and sustainable alternatives.
This article is part of the CONTRAST project, funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe. Views expressed are those of the author(s) only.